A Superfecta for Success, Part 1

Ask a business coach, mentor, or entrepreneur what it takes to be successful and you’ll hear an earful about all kinds of skills, traits and behaviors that feed success.  They won’t hesitate to expound on what a person has to do and be in order to succeed.   Some common traits connected to success include having:  a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, passion, energy/hustle, being open/coachable, honest, dependable, and curious.  Skills linked to success include:  lifelong learning, planning, good time management, creativity, critical thinking, adaptability, clear communicator, and team player.  And behaviors tied to success include goal setting, effort, willingness to go above and beyond, resolve / tenacity, self-control, initiative/go getter and willingness to take risks.   That’s just the tip of the success iceberg.  The list is long. 

Indeed, the most successful business people today – by measure of wealth and fame– are often asked what they think is required to be successful.  Bill Gates.  Elon Musk.  Diane Hendricks.  Donald Trump.  Mark Zuckerberg.  Oprah Winfrey.  Sam Walton.  Warren Buffett.  Melanie Perkins.  Michael Bloomberg.  Sir Richard Branson.  They’ve been asked what it takes to succeed, and all have given different answers.  But there are a few measures on which they agree… none of which are in the list above.      

The Most Important Skills and Behaviors of Successful People

People have different traits / qualities.  Not everyone is naturally curious or has the same fervor.  Those personality attributes vary from person to person.  It would be very hard to limit success only to those who possess those particular qualities.  And that’s not something that can really be taught. But skills and behaviors can be learned and embraced.   So which skills and behaviors are most likely to result in success?  A look at the most successful people points to one skill and three behaviors that seem to be essential components for success. 

#1 – Communication:  The Most Important Skill for Success

While we inherit cognitive functions from our parents and develop traits, skills are learned.  A skill can be studied, understood, acquired and honed with training and practice.  Over time, skills can improve from proficiency to mastery.  But the skills that made Oprah Winfrey successful are very different than the ones that made Warren Buffet successful.  By most accounts, Oprah’s top skills included a high level of emotional intelligence and keen ability to inspire others.  Whereas Warren Buffe’s skills include an ability to take risks and overcome fears (including public speaking) and a keen ability to recruit and hire top talent.  And Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, has very different skills from those of Melanie Perkins, founder of Canva.  But there is one specific skill that they all agree is key to success:  Communication.  It is the one skill that all successful people seem to agree is essential!

Sir Richard Branson said in a Forbes interview in 2016, “Communication is the most important skill any leader can possess. Today, if you want to succeed in business, you also have to be a storyteller.  It’s not enough to create a great product; you also have to work out how to let people know about it.  I realized very early on that the entrepreneurs who make a difference know how to relate to, communicate with and interact with other people.”  

Warren Buffett agreed that the top skill that would contribute to a person’s success and most increase their net worth is communication.  As he stated to a class of college graduates, “Right now I would pay $100,000 for 10% of the future earnings of any of you…That makes you a million-dollar asset… But if you improve your value 50% by having better communication skills, that’s another $500,000 in terms of capital value. See me after the class and I’ll pay you $150,000.” 

Bloomberg agrees.  According to Mike Bloomberg, “The most successful people know their audience and know how to communicate to them effectively. This often means adapting what you’re saying depending upon who you’re saying it to, and ensuring you’re always presenting your vision in a clear, compelling way.  At a basic level, this can be thinking about who is in your next meeting, how much knowledge they have on the project, why they should care and how they can help you.”

Even Bill Gates, who was not known early on in his career for his ability to communicate, said in an interview with the BBC in 2007 that “Communication skills and the ability to work well with different types of people is very important… Is there really a job that does not require communication skills? Those who assume that creating software is purely a solitary activity, where you sit in an office with the door closed all day and write lots of code, are wrong.  This is not true at all.  It requires the ability to collaborate and share ideas with other people, and to sit down and talk with customers and get their feedback and understand their needs.”

#2 – Consistency is a Must to Succeed

As for behaviors, most successful people know that consistency is vital to success.  Sometimes people will refer to consistency as tenacity, resolve or persistence.  Sometimes it is referred to as grit… the ability to keep at a task or project despite challenges, distractions, setbacks and naysayers.  Sometimes it is referred to as sheer stubbornness or drive.  But all of these behaviors are related at their core.  It is about having a goal or task and working at it day after day, allowing results to accumulate over time. 

Initially, consistency — which is the conformity in the application of something (doing the same thing over and over the same way) — forms habits.   One might start out by doing one thing for six months at a particular time so that it goes from being a deliberate task to being a routine habit.  Then another thing can be added to that routine.  Consistency becomes a key factor in long term change and is essential to achieving any goal and moving the bar forward on any endeavor. 

Interviewed in Entrepreneur Magazine, Mark Atalla — entrepreneur, visionary, and brain behind Carlyle Capital – said he believes entrepreneurs need consistency to succeed in any field.  “Actions either lead you on the journey to success or pull you back.  Your life is shaped by the activities you do on a consistent basis.  To put it simply, you are what you do and what you consume daily.”  His advice is to set aside at least two hours every day to work toward a goal.   While that might sound easy, consistent work does not always yield immediate results, which is why it is harder to do than it might seem.  Consistency requires patience and discipline.  Over time, consistency builds momentum and the results snowball.

To build consistency, follows these three steps:

1. Schedule / Block Time.  Choose a time that will be easiest to focus on a particular task, goal or project.  Put reminders on that time-block to ensure it is not forgotten.  Make sure that time is inviolate.  This is something that many successful people do.  For example, Stephen King, one of the most prolific and successful writers of all time, writes 1,000 words a day.  He starts at around 8:00 am – 8:30 am every morning and has a cup of water or tea with him.  He says this routine helps him enter a “writing state”.    
   
2. Dangle a Carrot / Reward.  Create a reward that you get for achieving a goal.  If the project is very large, break it into several small rewards.  Studies show that people who are incentivized with a reward are more likely to achieve a goal than those who aren’t.
   
3. Get a Stick / Accountability Partner.  Tell someone you are making a commitment to getting a project or goal done.  It can be a mentor, friend, coach, colleague, or family member.  Have them check on your progress and hold you accountable.  

Next week, we’ll look at the other two behaviors that are key to success.  Don’t miss it!

Quote of the Week
“If you want to be successful, you need consistency, and if you don’t have it, you’ve got no chance.” Paul Merson

© 2022, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.

The post A Superfecta for Success, Part 1 first appeared on Monday Mornings with Madison.